When people think of car accidents, naturally they’re concerned about the possibility of catastrophic injuries, such as head injuries, spinal cord injuries, broken bones, amputations, and internal bleeding. But when they are in a crash and they emerge appearing unscathed, as they rub their neck, their first reaction may be to say, “Oh, I’m fine. I’m not hurt,” which could be a complete fallacy.
After being in a car accident, people’s bodies are often flooded with adrenaline, which masks pain and injuries. Just because someone can walk away from a collision, it doesn’t mean they’re injury-free and that they aren’t in for horrible next several weeks, months, or even longer.
When Reality Sets In
In reality, once the adrenaline from an accident wears off, the individual may notice a very stiff neck, they may get headaches, their neck and back maybe in a lot of pain, they may lose valuable sleep, become irritable, and even have trouble walking straight.
Before they know it, a seemingly harmless crash can wreak havoc on their personal and professional lives and turn their whole world upside-down. They’re reaching for pain killers at every turn, and soon they’re second-guessing the statements they made at the crash scene where they claimed to be “fine,” when time revealed that they’re anything but. This is WHY you never want to downplay your injuries after a crash.
Effects of Downplaying Injuries
Why not downplay your injuries? Because it can hurt your personal injury claim by a lot. When you’re injured, you’re likely to incur medical bills, lost income, and have a loss of enjoyment of life. If you fail to seek medical attention, you could be looking at a much longer recovery. And, when you say you’re okay but later realize you aren’t, or if you wait too long to seek medical attention, the insurance company can have difficulty believing you.
So, if you downplay your injuries, it can make recovering the compensation you deserve a lot more difficult. You may not get the medical care you deserve and your compensation could end up being a lot less, thousands less, than what it should have been.
Here’s our advice:
- If you don’t think you need an ambulance, that’s okay. Say, “I don’t need an ambulance,” but don’t say you’re “fine or not hurt.”
- If you have obvious injuries, get to an ER right away.
- If you don’t go to the ER, see a doctor or chiropractor immediately. If you wait, don’t delay more than 72 hours maximum.
If you fail to seek medical treatment promptly after an accident, even if you think you’re okay, you could be inadvertently sabotaging your claim. Don’t let that happen to you. Instead, contact Zendeh Del Law Firm, PLLC for expert guidance every step of the way.
